Dwarf Avocado Trees: The Perfect Small-Space Avocado Tree for Your Garden🥑✨❤️

Dwarf avocado trees let a small yard, a patio, or a sunny corner grow its own avocados without a tree that climbs past 30 feet. They fit in a large pot or a small bed, and a smaller tree is easier to prune and harvest.

What Are Dwarf Avocado Trees?

Dwarf avocado trees stay much smaller than the standard avocado, which grows 30 to 65 feet tall. Wurtz, also sold as Little Cado or Minicado, is the true-dwarf avocado. This hybrid of Mexican and Guatemalan types reaches about 10 feet, with a weeping habit of drooping branches and dense leaves. The dark green fruit is medium-sized, 6 to 12 ounces, with thin skin and a small seed.

Wurtz has A-type flowers, which open female in the morning and male in the afternoon. Avocados self-fertilize, so a self-fertile tree like Wurtz can set fruit alone, although an A-type and a B-type avocado planted together can raise yields. The tree is frost-sensitive, especially when young, and grafted trees usually begin bearing in three to four years.

We carry these dwarf avocado varieties:

• Wurtz (Little Cado): The true dwarf, about 10 feet tall with a weeping habit and medium-sized dark green fruit. It has A-type flowers and suits large containers.
  
  
• Simmonds: A West Indian type with A-type flowers and large green fruit of 16 to 34 ounces that matures in summer. It grows into a much bigger tree than Wurtz, with low cold tolerance, and pruning can hold it near 10 to 15 feet.

Growing Dwarf Avocado Trees in a Container

Container life is ideal for the Wurtz because the tree stays small, and a large pot gives its shallow roots room to spread. The pot needs drainage holes and a fast-draining potting mix, since avocado roots need air and suffer in soggy soil. A layer of mulch over the root zone holds moisture, kept a few inches back from the trunk.

Potted trees dry out faster than trees in the ground, so check the soil with a finger and water deeply once the top has dried somewhat. Repotting into a larger pot is due when roots circle the inside or poke out of the drainage holes.

Avocados need full sun, so a sunny patio works well in warm weather. The tree is frost-sensitive, so before cold nights, you should move the pot to a sheltered spot such as a sunroom or greenhouse. A frost cloth helps if it has to stay outside, and young trees need the most winter protection.

In-Ground Growing

An in-ground dwarf tree will grow best with full sun and well-drained soil, where it's sheltered from wind and frost. Make sure it's clear of buildings and other trees, as shade will cut growth and fruit. Wurtz is suitable for USDA zones 9–11, the warm areas where frost is infrequent.

Avocado roots are shallow and need well aerated soil, and they do not tolerate flooding or overwatering. If the soil is heavy or the spot floods, plant on a mound of native soil 2 to 3 feet high. Containers are the better choice where winters are cold or the ground stays wet.

Most dwarf avocados come as grafted trees, with the fruiting variety joined to a rootstock that supplies the roots. The planting hole should be 3 to 4 times as wide as the nursery container, and the tree should sit level with or slightly above the surrounding soil. Avocado roots are sensitive, so the root ball needs gentle handling. Backfilling with the native soil is always best, and make sure the soil gets tamped to remove air pockets before the first watering.

Spring, after the last frost, is a good time to plant, because a young tree set out in summer can sunburn. Acclimating a nursery tree to full sun in stages, and shading it from the hottest direct sun for its first months, helps it settle in. Light feeding follows, since a balanced avocado/citrus fertilizer used according to the label supports a new tree, and avocados also need micronutrients such as zinc, plus iron in alkaline soil.

Tree Care and Maintenance

Deep watering, followed by letting the top of the soil dry somewhat, keeps a dwarf avocado healthy. The roots are shallow, so young trees need small, frequent waterings and mature trees can go longer between them. Overwatering is more common than underwatering, and soggy soil leads to root rot, so good drainage comes first.

Avocados like well aerated soil, and a 2 to 6 inch layer of coarse mulch, such as bark or wood chips, holds moisture and cuts down weeds, kept 8 to 12 inches from the trunk. A citrus- or avocado-specific fertilizer, applied during the growing season according to the label, supports growth, and young trees get fed more often than older ones. A foliar spray can supply micronutrients such as zinc, and too much fertilizer harms the roots, which are sensitive to salts.

Young trunks sunburn easily, so tree paint, a 50:50 mix of white interior latex paint and water, protects exposed bark. Shade cloth over a new tree screens the hottest sun until the canopy fills in. Light pruning keeps the tree compact, with shaping in the first two years to encourage side branches and a trim after harvest to remove dead wood. When a freeze is forecast, frost protection means frost cloth over the tree, and potted trees should move to shelter.

Check out our container-friendly papayas!

FAQ

How Big Do Dwarf Avocado Trees Get?

Wurtz reaches about 10 feet tall with a weeping habit, while a standard avocado grows 30 to 65 feet. The smaller size makes pruning and harvesting easier.

Do Dwarf Avocado Trees Need a Second Tree to Fruit?

Wurtz is self-fertile and can set fruit alone. A B-type avocado planted nearby can raise yields.

How Long Do Dwarf Avocado Trees Take to Fruit?

Grafted trees usually begin bearing in three to four years.

Can Dwarf Avocado Trees Grow in Pots?

Yes, Wurtz suits a large pot with drainage holes and a fast-draining potting mix. The tree needs repotting when roots fill the pot and frost protection in cold weather.

What Size Is the Fruit on a Dwarf Avocado Tree?

Wurtz bears medium-sized, dark green fruit of 6 to 12 ounces.

References

UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County, "Selecting and Planting a New Avocado Tree"
ucanr.edu/node/101185

UF/IFAS Extension, "Avocado Growing in the Florida Home Landscape"
ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG213

UC IPM, "Avocado Root Rot, or Phytophthora Root Rot"
ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/avocado-root-rot-or-phytophthora-root-rot

UC Master Gardeners of Orange County, "How To Plant an Avocado Tree"
ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-orange-county/article/how-plant-avocado-tree

UC ANR, "Irrigating Avocados in the Home Garden"
ucanr.edu/blog/topics-subtropics/article/irrigating-avocados-home-garden

UC ANR, "Recommended Avocados for Planting in the Home Garden"
ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2020-06/328862.pdf